Road form and incorporated load transfer unit



Aug. 18, 1964 R. E. HELTZEL 3,144,700

ROAD FORM AND INCORPORATED LOAD TRANSFER UNIT Filed March 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Robert E. Helizel g- 13, 1954 R. E. HELTZEL 3,144,700

ROAD FORM AND INCORPORATED LOAD TRANSFER UNIT Filed March 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 l8 4 lz Z 1%, %z/////////////'//,'( ////'//7/'Y/////// I IO val Ll? 27b 334 l I 1 I 1 34 I l5 3m I I G 06 a j 35 la 24b Z '6 u I? ll L INVENTOR IO 1, Robert E. Heltzel United States Patent 3,144,790 RQAD FORM AND INCURKORATED LQAD TRANSFER UNiT Robert E. Heltzel, 6922 Mines Road, Warren, Qhio Filed Mar. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 264,157 14 Claims. (Cl. 25-413) The present invention relates to road form and incorporated load transfer unit and more particularly has reference to a side form for use in molding concrete or other plastic roads, which forms are also employed as rails for the support and movement of heavy road machinery such as machines for screeding, leveling and spreading the concrete and for forming joints therein.

These side forms are in practice subjected to extremely heavy loads of the machines which travel along the rail heads of the forms and incidentally communicate to the forms load and other downward thrusts which develop in the rail heads and upper portions of the forms certain stresses and bending moments which it is an object of the invention to counteract and absorb to the end that such loads and forces will not react to distort the forms or their braces.

It is therefore a primary object of the invention to incorporate in the conventional or other road form a load transfer unit having absorptive characteristics for absorbing shocks and thrusts in the imposition of excessive loads to preserve the integrity of the forms and to extend the life of the same.

The invention contemplates the embodiment in the forms of elastic load transfer units of simple form, requiring small modification in conventional road forms and effective to react with the braces and the rail heads in a cooperative relationship which will largely offset the expense attendant upon the replacement of damaged and destroyed forms through imposition of loads and destructive thrusts and forces.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a conventional side road form and brace structure with an incorporated load transfer unit constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on an enlarged scale on the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is also a sectional view taken through the lower end portion of the brace and road form showing a modification.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing another modification.

FIGURE 6 is a viewalso similar to FIGURE 2 showing a further modification.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and for the present to that form of invention shown in FIG- URES 1-3, inclusive, 10 designates the base of a conventional road form having an outer upstanding reinforcing and rigidifying flange 11, an inner upright concrete forming wall12 and a tread or rail head 13 having at its inner edge a downturned reinforcing and rigidifying flange 14.

A form of brace is shown having a web 15 and flanges 16 constituting a channel construction with the flanges 16 downturned.

This brace occupies the usual diagonal position with its upper end portion disposed beneath the rail head 13 and its lower portion welded or otherwise aflixed as 3,144,700 Patented Aug. 18, 1964 indicated at 17 to the base member 10 at an outer portion thereof. The braces have stake pockets for stakes 311 for holding the side forms to the subgrade.

The brace incorporates a load receiving member 18 which in the instance shown is provided by an upper end wall of the brace which is reinforced by the web 15 and both flanges 16.

Incorporated with the rail head 13 is a thrust member, for instance, in the form of a plate 20 welded along a lower edge as indicated at 21 to the upright wall 12 and having an upper end portion welded as indicated at 22 to the lower edge of the rail head flange 14. For stability the thrust plate 20, which is preferably diagonally disposed, has a riser flange 23 fitting within and against the rai head downturned flange 14.

Between the thrust member 29 and the load receiving member 18 is placed an elastic load transfer member 24, in this instance, in the form of a rubber or other resilient block which may be vulcanized or otherwise aifixed to the thrust member or plate 20.

Inasmuch as the load receiving member 18 is substantially stationary with the brace and the thrust plate 26) moves downwardly toward the member 18 incident to bending moments of the rail head 13, compression and stressing of the elastic load transfer member 24 will take place in response to imposition of the load of machinery on the rail head 13 and/or load thrusts in a direction generally downwardly which occasion certain bending or yielding movements in the rail head.

It will be understood that loads and load thrusts to which the rail head 13 is subjected will be cushioned by the load transfer member 24 and the thrust developing from these forces will be transmitted downwardly by the thrust plate 20 to the elastic member 24 which will absorb these shock loads and thrusts. As the brace is substantially immovable and this immovability is communicated tothe load receiving member 18, the results of load imposition, load forces and thrusts will all be compensated for by the elastic member 24 and therefore will not devolve directly upon the end of the brace but will be absorbed in the compression distortion and expansion of the elastic load transfer member 24. This absorption of thrusts and forces will preserve the brace against collapse or misalignment or distortion such as would destroy the eflicacy of the form. Any such destruction or distortion of the braces would of course be reflected in a withdrawal or absence of support for the rail head 13 and consequently the rail head would tend to sag in the absence of firm support from the braces.

It will be further understood that when abnormal loads pass or are lifted from the rail head the elastic load transfer members will expand and restore the rail head 13 to its initial position.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 4, a modification is shown in which a similar resilient load transfer construction may be provided at the lower end of the brace 15 and between the brace and the road form base 10 and its flange 11. i

In FIGURE 4, 19 designates a thrust member which may be a plate or bottom end wall of the brace or stake pocket support. A resilient load transfer member 25 in the form of a rubber block is vulcanized or otherwise affixed to the lower end of the member 19. This rubber block 25 engages against a load receiving member 26 which may be in the form of a plate arranged substantially parallel with the thrust plate 19. This load receiving member or plate 26 is disposed diagonally with respect to the base 113 of the road form and extending downwardly from its upper edge is a flange 27, substantially vertical and fitted inside the upstanding outer flange 11 of the road form base 10.

g A weld 23 may connect-the base 10 with the lower edge of the plate 26 and a weld 29 may connect the upper portion of the flange 27 with the upper portion of the flange 11.

This construction of FIGURE 4 will function in the manner described relatively to the members 21), 24 and 18. It will be understood that both upper and lower resilient load transfer units according to FIGURES 2 and 4 may be utilized together or either unit may be separately used as desired.

It will be understood that the full length plate 2%), as shown in FIGURE 1, actually develops a stronger section for the rail head which means that the form will be strengthened at intermediate points between the stake pocket supports and have an increased ability to carry thrust loads to the stake pockets.

According to the conventional practice, the stake pockets are in the braces 15. A stake is indicated at 30 in FIGURES 1 and 2.

The rubber blocks 24 and 25 may be of vulcanized rubber or other suitable elastic material.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 5, modification is shown in which the elastic load transfer member is constituted by a spring helix 24 of a suitable number of convolutions which surround the guide and assembly pin 27. In this instance the upper end of the pin 27 is welded at 33 or otherwise affixed to the thrust plate 20. The lower end portions of the pin 2'7 slide in appropriate openings made in guide plates 31 and 32 which are atfixed to the brace in spaced relation.

The coil spring 24 is abutted at its upper end against the bottom of the thrust plate 20 and at its lower end against the upper end wall 18 of the brace.

The coil spring 24 reacts against the substantially immovable end brace wall 18 to exert a constant tendency to lift the thrust plate 20 and maintain the rail head 13 in initial position. Abnormal loads and downward thrusts on the rail head will move the plate 241 downwardly relatively to the end wall 18 thus compressing the coil spring 24 moving its convolutions to or toward a shut height and thus absorbing such loads and thrusts and minimizing transmission of same to the braces.

Referring more particularly to the form of the invention shown in FIGURE 6, 18 constitutes the load receiving member, the same being welded or otherwise aflixed to the web and flanges 16 of the brace although at a lower point than the upper end wall. This load receiving member or wall 18 also acts as a guide through which the lower end portion of the pin 27 slidably moves in response to thrust moments imposed on the rail head 13.

The upper end of the pin 27 is afiixed to the thrust plate by welds 33 and 34 so that the pin 2'7 partakes of movements of this plate 20. A flange 35 of the pin 27 receives therebeneath the upper end of the elastic load transfer member 24 which in this case also is a spring helix or coil spring, the lower convolution of which abuts the upper side of the load receiving member 18. The member 31 is a reinforcing guide plate which cooperates with the plate 18 in guiding the movements of the pin 27*.

Although I have disclosed herein the best forms of the invention known to me at this time, I reserve the right to all such modifications and changes as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. For use with a side form having a base, side wall and rail head, and a brace having connection at its lower end to the base and having connection at its upper portion to the rail head, said latter connection comprismg (a) a load thrust means on the rail head responsive to bending or depressing moments of the rail head,

(b) a load receiving means substantially rigid with the brace and in spaced confronting relation to the load thrust means, and

(c) an elastic load transfer means located between said load thrust means and said load receiving means adapted to be stressed incident to movements of the rail head and load thrust means responsive to said moments.

2. The connection claimed in claim 1 in which the elastic load transfer means is a solid resilient block adapted to be compressed on imposition of load.

3. The connection claimed in claim 1 in which the elastic load transfer means is a resilient helix adapted to be removed to or toward a shut height in response to imposition of load.

4. The connection claimed in claim 1 in which the load thrust means is a thrust plate affixed to the rail head responsive to bending moments of the rail head, and the load receiving means is a thrust receiving plate aflixed to the brace.

5. The connection claimed in claim 4 in which the elastic load transfer means is a mass of resilient rubber.

6. The connection claimed in claim 1 in which the elastic load transfer means is a mass of resilient material vulcanized to the load thrust means.

7. The connection claimed in claim 1 in which said connection comprises (at) a load thrust member at the lower end portion of the brace,

(e) a load receiving member on the base of the side forrn confronting the load thrust member, and

(f) an elastic load transfer member between the load thrust member and the load receiving member.

8. The connection claimed in claim 1 in which the load thrust means extends substantially the full length of the rail head.

9. The connection claimed in claim 1 in which the rail head has a dependent flange and the load thrust means is a plate having (d) an upstanding flange afiixed in lapping relation to the rail head flange and to (e) the side wall of the form.

10. For use with a side form having a base, side wall and rail head, and a brace having a connection at its upper end portion to the rail head and movable therewith, and having connection at its lower end to the base, said latter connection comprising (a) a load thrust means on the lower portion of the brace and movable therewith,

(b) a load receiving means substantially rigid with the base and in spaced confronting relation to the load thrust means, and

(c) an elastic load transfer means located between said load thrust means and said load receiving means adapted to be stressed incident to movements of the rail head and brace.

11. The connection claimed in claim 10 in which said base has (a') an upstanding flange at the outer edge portion of the base, and said load receiving means has (e) a downturned flange from the end adjacent to the base flange fitted against said base flange.

12. The connection claimed in claim 1 further comprising (d) alining means associated with the load thrust means, load receiving means and elastic load transfer means for preserving the relative orientation thereof.

13. The connection claimed in claim 12 in which said alining means is a pin afiixed to said load thrust means and slidable through said load receiving means and elastic load transfer means.

14. The connection claimed in claim 13 in which the pin has (e) a flange abutted against the upper end portion of the elastic load transfer means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,034,613 HeltZel May 15, 1962 

